Parking lot striping is the ultimate 'hidden in plain sight' business.
Every commercial property, church, school, and shopping center has a parking lot. Lines fade every 2 to 3 years, and city codes mandate clear handicap symbols and fire lanes. Property managers gladly pay $1,000+ for a job that takes a few hours and costs $100 in paint, because a crisp parking lot makes their entire property look well-managed.
- Buy a basic line striping machine (e.g., Graco LineLazer, or a cheaper Titan model) and high-quality traffic paint.
- Purchase standard stencils (Handicap, NO PARKING, FIRE LANE, arrows).
- Practice in an abandoned lot or offer to re-stripe a local church for free to build your portfolio.
- Use LinkedIn and cold-calling to contact commercial property managers and facility directors.
- Walk properties, take photos of faded lines, and send a proactive quote to the manager.
- Schedule the job at night or on weekends when the lot is empty.
- Use chalk lines and lasers to ensure perfectly straight stripes.
- Dan Zetterstrom - The most prominent voice in the striping community, teaches others how to secure 5-figure B2B contracts. YouTube
- Chris Curry - Started with a simple roller, scaled to a massive asphalt maintenance company. Web
- John Howell - Focuses on high-margin ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliance upgrades for commercial lots. LinkedIn
- Steve B - Runs a local monopoly by combining seal-coating with line striping for property managers. Web
- Mark Kelly - Documented his first year in striping, showing how $50 of paint turns into a $600 paycheck. YouTube